In Florida, 15 percent of families don’t know where they’re going to get their next meal. When you look at children alone, that number increases to almost a quarter who are food insecure, according to Feeding America, one of the largest networks of food banks in the country.

North Florida Congressman Al Lawson is launching his Let’s Feed America campaign, which aims to reduce hunger by expanding eligibility and making it easier for those in need to receive access to food. Lawson says 1 out of 4 people in the fifth congressional district have been on the SNAP Program or food stamps this year.

A new legislative proposal could require Florida schools to distribute free or reduce-price meal applications to all students, not just those in need. The bill applies to schools in the national school lunch program or the breakfast program.

Days after Hurricane Irma battered South Florida, Rufus James walked through his Liberty City neighborhood in Miami looking for paid work to chop down trees and clean up yards.

Like many Floridians, James, 57, was going on day four with no electricity. At home, he had three grandchildren to feed. They’re eating “cornflakes and whatever we can come up with. I’m looking for some food,” he said.

Before the storm, James said he worked odd jobs — helping elderly neighbors mow their lawns or move heavy items. Post storm, no one was paying for help yet.

Saturday (6/17) was the annual Family Fun Day at Walker Ford Community Center, in one of the poorest neighborhoods in Tallahassee. Not only were there the obligatory bounce house and face-painting, but a mobile food pantry was there as well.

According to the Annie E. Casey Foundation, more than half of Florida’s public school students are eligible for free or reduced priced meals during the academic year. Yet during summer vacation, the need for healthy, fresh foods can actually increase. But some local community groups are teaming up to try and fill in the gap.

Polk County is a place of so many contradictions. It's the home of beautiful lakes, charming downtowns and historic landmarks. But this birthplace of several of Florida's governors, was also named by one recent study as having the country's second largest percentage of people struggling to avoid hunger.

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Click here to listen to highlights from the Florida Matters town hall on food insecurity in Polk County, hosted April 17, 2017 at Florida Southern College's Annie Pfeiffer Chapel in Lakeland.

Kara Dethlefsen lined up early on a recent morning for the food pantry at the Camp Pendleton Marine Base near San Diego. She and her husband, both active-duty Marines, took turns holding their 4-month-old daughter.

"We most like to get the avocados, lemons, some vegetables to cook up," says Dethlefsen, 27, who first heard about the pantry from an on-base nurse after giving birth.

WFSU news is taking a look at hunger in the Big Bend this week. In the final installment of our series we’ll take a look at the impact food deserts have on a person’s ability access fresh fruits and vegetables and the potential impact of new legislation lawmakers hope will help.

For many students in Florida, summer vacation means finally getting out of the classroom and away from tests and homework. But for some, the Summer also means figuring out where the next meal will come from. Now there are efforts underway to address hunger in North Florida—especially at times when a major food program—the school—is no longer in session.

Nearly a quarter of Gadsden County residents don't know where their next meal is coming from. Leon County is close behind with 22 percent of residents classified as "food insecure". That's according a recent report from the group, Feeding America. The organization's study shows hunger is widespread in the Big Bend.